Amalgamator



W. E. DARROW. AMALGAMATOR.

(No Model.)

No. 473,385. Patented Apr. 19, 1892.

' of the other.

FFICE.

PATENT OF AMADOR, CALIFORNIA.

AMALGAMATOR.

SPECIFICATFEON forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,885, dated April 19, 1892.

Application filed October 19 13131.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILTON ELMORE DAR- ROW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Amador, Amador county, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Amalgamators; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to an apparatus which is especially adapted for the saving of fine particles of gold, silver, or amalgam from the slimes which are produced in connection with crushing or grinding mills.

It consists of corrugated amalgamated plates situated one above the other, with the corrugations extendinglongitudinally and the corrugations of one projecting into the spaces One of said plates is stationary and the other has a shaking movement.

It also consists in certain details of construction, which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a transverse section of my ap paratus. Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

In the recovery of valuable precious metals from theirores it is well known that the crushing and grinding process to which the ore is subjected produces a fine impalpable slime, which carries a great deal of fine gold and mercury, which have been triturated by the preceding operations to such an extent that they will float upon the surface of the water and are very difficult to bring into contact with any amalgamated plates or surfaces over which the material passes.

My invention is designed to bring these slimes into intimate and forcible contact with amalgamated surfaces without subjecting them to the cutting action of the coarser sands which are carried along with them.

A is the lower corrugated plate, which is made of silver-plated copper or other material, and it is supported in a sluice or framework A of suitable rigidity for the purpose.

a are ridges or corrugations which are made longitudinally from one end to theother of the plate, and the sides are upturned sufficiently higher than the ridges to prevent the material from splashing over the sides of the sluice. This sluice is supported upon elastic arms or springs I, the upper ends of which are Serial No. 409,190. (llo model.)

suitably attached to the sides of the sluice and the lower ends are supported upon plates J. These plates are suspended by rods J, passing through the timbers R of the frame, having screw-threads upon their upper ends and nuts turning upon these threads, by which the rods may be lengthened or shortened, and by this or other equivalent means the springs at either end of the sluice may be raised or lowered, so as to keep the sluice level transversely and adjust it to correctany warping which may take place.

At the upper end and the lower end, respectively, of the sluice are fixed the traps E, which consist of semi cylindrical troughs fixed to the ends of the sluice. These troughs are copper or copper-lined, and they serve to collect and save any smallparticles of amalgam or precious metals which are heavy enough to drop into them. This table A is given a side shaking motion by means of cranksM, mounted upon a crank-shaft N, suitably journaled at the side of the machine. These cranks are connected with the table by elastic pitmen or connecting-rods H, so that when the shaft is rotated the table will be shaken from side to side.

B is a second amalgamated or silvered plate, which is supported above the plate A by angle-irons G,which are fixed to the supports D of the main frame-work. This upper plate has corrugations similar to those in the lower plate and projecting downwardly between those of the lower plate, and it is supported and adjusted as follows: The angle-iron plates G extend across the frame and are suspended by screw-bolts g, the upper ends of which pass through the cap-pieces it. By means of nuts upon the upper ends of the bolts 9 the sta tionary plate B is adjusted with relation to the shaking table, so as to maintain a proper distance to allow the coarse material to flow freely and at the same time produce the desired action upon the slimes. Slits are cut in the angle-plates to admit the down wardly-projecting angles of the plate B, and these prevent side motion or displacement. The discharge end of the shaking table is raised or depressed by means of wedges 27, which are placed between the sills of the frame A and the main supporting-posts upon which the structure rests. The two plates are near ICO enough together to allow the coarse sands to flow along the bottom of the shaking table without being interrupted by the corrugations or projections of the upperone; but they overlap each other sufliciently so that all the slimes andlighter material which passes down the sluice will be violently forced against these corrugations as the table moves from side to side. The operation will then be as follows: The amalgamator is placed in front of a battery or other apparatus from which the pulp is being discharged. The pulp is allowed to first flow over an ordinary plain amalgamating-plate, which will serve as a test-plate to amalgamate by. The pulp then flows over the amalgam-trap E at the upper end of the apparatus, and thence upon the table A. The shaking motion which is given to the table causes the pulp to be splashed from side to side, the surface being dashed against the amalgamated corrugations of both upper and lower plate, so that any fine valuable material carried in the slime will be brought into forcible contact with these amalgamated surfaces. The angle of these corrugations is such that the material will be caused to slide or glance up the sides of the corrugations, passing over the corrugations of the lower plate into the next depression, where they will be met by the return movement of the plate and its corrugations, and th us forced back into the corrugations from which ,they werejust expelled. These slimes will thus be subjected to a violent motion, which will repeatedly and constantly throw them into intimate contact with the amalgamated surfaces, so that the valuable precious metals will be retained thereon, while the heavier ma terial will flow along in the depressions between the upwardly-projecting ridges of the corrugations. XVhen the material leaves the amalgamator, it flows through the trap E at the lower end, which serves to catch any small particles of amalgam or other valuable material which may be detached from the plates of the amalgamator.

It will be manifest that either the upper or the lower plates, or both, may be subjected to the vibrating motion; but I have found the construction here shown to be very satisfactory.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an amalgamator, asluice having amalgamating-plates with longitudinal projections extending parallel with the flow of the material and with the projections of one plate entering the spaces between the projections of the other and means whereby one or both plates are given a lateral shaking motion, substantially as herein described.

2. In an amalgamator, a sluice consisting of amalgamated plates having longitudinal ridges extending parallel with the flow of material, arms by which said sluice is supported so as to be movable from side to side, a crank-shaft and cranks connected with the sluice, whereby a side vibrating motion is comlnunicated to it, a stationary amalgamated plate having ridges projecting downwardly, said plate being supported above the vibrating one, so that its ridges project downwardly between those of the vibrating table, substantially as herein described.

3. In an amalgama-tor, a sluice consisting of an amalgamated trough having upwardlyprojecting ridges extending longitudinally and parallel with the line of flow of the pulp, arms by which said sluice is supported, and adjusting mechanism whereby the grade of the sluice is regulated, a crank-shaft and cranks connected with the sluice, whereby a side oscillating motion is imparted thereto, a second amalgamated plate having down wardl yproj ectin g ridges, means whereby said plate is supported in a fixed position above the vibrating one, with its ridges projecting downwardly between those of the lower table, substantially as herein described.

4. In an amalgamator, a sluice consisting of an amalgamated trough with upwardlyprojecting ridges extending parallel with the line of flow of the pulp, arms by which said sluice is supported and adj usted,a'nd amechanism for imparting a side oscillating motion to the sluice, a second amalgamated plate with ridges projecting downwardly from it between the ridges of the lower plate, supports for said upper plate, and mechanism by which it is adjusted with relation to the lower plate, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

IVILTON ELMORE DARROVV.

Witnesses E. T. HALE, W. F. KEENEY. 

